Listen & tracks

2 of 10 tracks have a preview · 6 works · 75:51

The Subtlety of TimeTony Gould 3 movements17:51
1. 1 i. Moderately 5:58
2. 2 ii. Slow 6:22
3. 3 iii. Moderately 5:31
4 Plants in Action Tony Gould 9:45
5 Wind Terrace Tony Gould 5:35
ChronicleTony Gould 3 movements23:16
1. 6 i. Moderately 8:23
2. 7 ii. Slow 9:32
3. 8 iii. Moderately 5:21
9 The Poetry of Music Tony Gould 11:25
10 The Living Soil Tony Gould 7:59

The title piece Chronicle features Tony Gould on piano, with Marco van Pagee and the Geminiani Orchestra.

Also heard are The Subtlety of Time for saxophone and string orchestra, Wind Terrace for flute choir, two scores written for CSIRO documentary films (The Living Soil and Plants in Action), and The Poetry of Music, originally written to accompany Australian poetry and presented here without the text.

In the artist’s words

The definition of the word Chronicle put briefly … “a record of events” aptly fits the content of this recording.

The Subtlety of Time (music for saxophone and string orchestra) is in three movements, with a traditional slow movement. All the string parts are fully written, but there are sections where soloist and rhythm section improvise on chord structures. The opening solo fanfare is written, but with Lyall especially it is difficult to tell where the written part ends and improvisation begins, such is his remarkable ability to compose ‘on the spot’ as it were. A piece such as this would have fitted comfortably into the old category of ‘Third Stream’ music when ‘serious’ musicians wanted nothing to do with improvisation, especially the kind of music which even hinted at the ‘devil’s music’, jazz! Things have improved a little.

The Living Soil and Plants in Action are pieces written for documentary films, the first winning a prestigious award in its category. Writing for films forces one out of one’s own musical ‘images’ and into somebody else’s. What usually happens is that one starts to think about a more diverse mix of instruments, the results of which can be less common sound combinations.

Wind Terrace (music for flute choir) is a piece for 14 flutes of varying sizes. Listen closely for the beautifully soft (and ridiculously low) Octobass flute (or Pinschofon). Such a combination provides an interesting challenge, especially if the expectation is for the usual cadential sound of more common instrumental combinations. This was a commission by Thomas Pinschof’s marvellous flute ‘choir’ Zauberflöte.

Chronicle for solo violin, viola and piano with string orchestra was originally a commission for Rantos Collegium, one of the finest smaller orchestras in Melbourne. This recording was made with a group of young musicians led by Marco van Pagee, most of whom have been involved with the exciting, young Geminiani Orchestra which van Pagee founded. It is a tribute to his dedication and enthusiasm to young musicians that they were able to record both this work and The Subtlety of Time in such a frustratingly short time. (The fact that much of this music does not fall comfortably into any category never allows it to be played without concern for cost). The piano cadenza at the end of the slow movement is a spontaneous improvisation.

The Poetry of Music is taken from an LP recording of Australian poetry called “Hey Blue” narrated by the distinguished Australian actors John Stanton and Jill Forster. It is not so much background music to the readings but more an attempt to be an intricate part of the poems. The pieces are, then, compositions in the real sense of the term and thus can be heard without the texts as heard here in this suite of music from “Hey Blue”. Of course, the texts can be heard without music, and during the collaboration with Stanton and Forster — both with exquisite voices and a deep understanding of the poetry — this composer was reluctant to write anything!

Given the populist culture we live in, and the money it soaks up, these pieces are lucky to be on record at all. They are here because many musicians were willing to give up their valuable time for little reward, and record under severe time restrictions. I thank them all for their patience and understanding of what the project was essentially about: to record a chronicle of musical events.

And whatever the final musical worth, it seems that ventures such as this might be in some way valuable for all concerned. At the very least they are clues to what is happening at various points in one’s life and perhaps to some small extent in Australian musical culture.

— Tony Gould

Reviews

In these works I am again reminded of the balancing contrasts of the pastoral and the aggressive advances of the industrial that pervades some early twentieth century European music ... Of the track ‘The Poetry of Music’ ... the music in this suite is often ephemeral, quite charming.

— Sounds Australian

... a curious mixture covering a concerto for saxophone and strings that boldly uses a rhythm section, award-winning film music, a suite inspired by poetry and a commissioned work for 14 flutes ...

— Andra Jackson, Herald Sun

Artists

Tony Gould

conductor

Pianist and composer Tony Gould is one of Australia’s most respected musicians. His career has spanned jazz and other improvisatory forms as well as traditional and contemporary classical, and for decades he has stood at the forefront of music education in Australia.

Graeme Lyall

saxophone

Graeme Lyall is widely regarded as one of the greatest jazz saxophone players and arrangers Australia has produced. He performs, writes, arranges and teaches, and is Artistic Director of the WA Youth Jazz Orchestra and musical director of its Composers Ensemble.

Digital booklet

Digital booklet Notes, texts and credits — read online or download the PDF Download the PDF

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$25.00 AUD

Compact disc

Buywell Music Australian Music Centre

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Apple Music

Also available to download from the iTunes Store.

Performers

Tony Gould · conductor · tracks 1–3, 6–8
Graeme Lyall · saxophone · tracks 1–3
Ben Robertson · bass · tracks 1–3
Geminiani Orchestra · orchestra · tracks 1–3, 6–8
Steve Heather · percussion · tracks 1–3
Alison Catanach · piccolo · track 5
Keith Roxburgh · piccolo · track 5
Nicola Eveleigh · piccolo · track 5
Johanna Selleck · piccolo · track 5
Peter Bartels · e♭ flute · track 5
Kym Wilson · e♭ flute · track 5
Kaylene Mulcahy · concert flute · track 5
Janine Hanrahan · concert flute · track 5
Heather Michael · concert flute · track 5
Meg Sterling · concert flute · track 5
Heather de Castella · alto flute · track 5
Elizabeth Barcan · alto flute · track 5
Sue Taylor · alto flute · track 5
Brigid Tonks · alto flute · track 5
Liz McEwan · bass flute · track 5
Karl Billeter · bass flute · track 5
Livia Judge · pinschofon · track 5
Lisa Orme · contrabass flute · track 5
Thomas Pinschof · octobass flute · tracks 5 and 9
Matthew Tomkins · violin · tracks 6–8
Marco van Pagee · viola · tracks 6–8
Sue Haylock · vibraphone, marimba, drum · track 9
Diana Doherty · oboe, cor anglais · track 9
Lachlan Easton · double bass · track 9
Grania Burke · bass clarinet · track 9

Technical credits

Recording Engineer Martin Wright
Editing Engineer Vaughan McAlley (track 9)
Venue Move Records Studio (tracks 1–3, 5–8)
Victorian College of the Arts (track 9)
Thanks to Creative Australia (tracks 1–3, 6–8)